it's the little things that count
by fandomsandmusicandshit
Summary: A collection of Maya-sized Lucaya oneshots that show how their relationship grows. (DISCLAIMER: As I write these stories, they will not be in chronological order, but I will organize them at a later point.)
1. he braids her hair

_he braids her hair._

When they're two weeks away from the last day of eighth grade, the school decides to have a lockdown drill. The class of 19 all crowds into the cramped art closet, minus one. As Ms. Kossal does a head count, she realizes Riley went to the bathroom and didn't make it back before the alarm went off. Maya immediately whips out her phone and searches the crowd for Farkle, Zay, and Lucas. She pushes through to the opposite side of the huddle and demands they bombard Riley with texts too. Exactly two minutes and thirteen seconds after Maya enlists the boys to help her find Riley, she receives a text telling her "I'm fine Peaches, I'm in my dad's room." After that, Maya takes it down a notch and settles herself on the floor, continuing to text Riley. Lucas can still see the slight shake of her hands and how she's starting to pull her hair towards her mouth, so he sits on the floor behind her. He wordlessly gathers all of her hair behind her head, so it rests on her back. The thought of screaming doesn't even cross her mind as her brain immediately registers the familiar calluses against her bare shoulders. He gently combs most of the knots out of her golden mane with his fingers, being careful not to pull too hard. He plays with her hair until she stops shaking. He is halfway through slowly negotiating her unruly waves into a single french braid when they are finally allowed to leave the closet. He quickly finishes her braid and puts a spare hair tie around it. They wordlessly stand up and walk out of the closet with the rest of the class, Lucas's guiding hands on Maya's shoulders so she doesn't walk into the doorframe while texting Riley.

"What just happened?" Farkle asked Zay as they sat back down.

"What do ya mean?" Zay responds.

"That whole thing. You know, with the floor and the hair and the braids."

"Lucas has basically lived with horses his whole life, of course he knows how to braid hair."

"That's not what I meant. I meant with-," Farkle starts to say back, but is cut off by Riley entering the room.

"I like your hair," Riley squeals.

"Oh thanks," Maya mutters as she runs her hand over the textured plait. "I do too."


	2. his mom loves her

_his mom loves her._

Contrary to common belief, the first time Maya meets Lucas's mother is actually long before the muffin company project. It's when Lucas accidentally takes Maya's sketchbook from the library table instead of his history notebook. The second she realizes, she immediately calls Lucas and demands he return it immediately. When she tells him that she's still on the subway, he tells her to get off at the next stop, walk three blocks, and then he'll buzz her into his apartment building. She barely pauses as she pushes the button for apartment 44. The second she hears the click of the door opening, she sprints into the building and up all four flights of stairs. When she reaches his door at the end of the hall her face is flushed deep red and her curls are beyond tangled. She bangs the horseshoe knocker against the door once, twice, three times, before Lucas opens the door. He hands her the red notebook and her arms immediately wrap around her.

"Honey, who's at the door?" A sugary voice fills the apartment. "Oh is that your friend Maya? Ask her if she wants to join us for dinner. After you've let her in the door of course, you have let her in the door right?"

Maya detaches herself from Lucas and steps into the apartment, still holding her beloved sketchbook in a death grip. Lucas shuts the door behind her and guides her into the kitchen.

"Oh hi sweetie," Mrs. Friar says as she turns away from the stove. "You must be Maya, I've heard all about you and Riley and Farkle. You guys have been so accepting with Lucas. Won't you stay for dinner? We're having meatloaf and green beans and mashed potatoes. They won't kill you, Lucas's dad didn't cook tonight. Anyway, why don't you? We'd love to have you."

After looking back at Lucas, who nods his head, Maya agrees to stay for dinner and to finish her homework with Lucas. They work on their art project before dinner, which they wait to have until Mr. Friar come home, and then they stuff their mouths full of delicious food. After dinner and leftover pie from Sunday for dessert, Maya and Lucas settle themselves onto the living room couch to do the remainder of their homework. Maya spends the first 20 minutes trying to distract Lucas before she gives in and accepts his help with the algebra homework.

Mrs. Friar rushes into the living room at 11, looking petrified. She finds the both of them asleep, Maya's body leaning against Lucas's, with science flashcards scattered around them. She tries to wake them both up, but they are both fast asleep. So she pulls Maya's phone out of her backpack and calls her mother. Katy doesn't answer, so Mrs. Friar just frowns and leaves a very apologetic message. She puts Maya's phone back and gets Lucas's comforter from his room to cover them. She smiles as Lucas wraps the baby blue puff around the both of them and then leans down and whispers into his ear.

"Bring her home again soon."


	3. she steals his clothes

_she steals his clothes._

Maya Penelope Hart is fearless, she doesn't even know how to be scared, unless there's a thunderstorm. When she was younger she used to crawl into her parent's bed until one night her Daddy wasn't there. After that, she would just silently cry into her teddy bear's head and hide under her comforter. The first time she slept at Riley's and there was a thunderstorm, Maya sneaks into the living room so Riley doesn't hear her crying. She is greeted by a very awake Topanga who takes one look at Maya's tear streaked face and brings her to bed with her and Cory. From then on, Maya would always slip into their bedroom if there was a storm. If she wasn't at the Matthews', she would call them and they would stay on the line with her until she fell asleep.

The worst thunderstorm Maya ever experienced was during the summer before ninth grade. She wasn't at Riley's because the Matthews' plus Shawn were in Philadelphia and she wasn't about to call them because they were probably having fun and didn't want to be bothered by her stupid fear of thunderstorms. Katy was at the diner covering someone's shift and Ginger had disappeared back into her hole and Maya was all alone and terrified and couldn't find her teddy bear. She screams when her phone rings, but then reluctantly creeps across her room to answer it.

"Hey Shortstack, wanna work on the science lab?" Lucas's greeting is met with silence. "Pancakes, you okay? Maya what's wrong? I can hear you breathing so I know you're there. Did I bore you to sleep again? Okay well then I'm just going to hang up." As he ends the call, he hears and clap of thunder and a scream. He immediately calls Maya back and all he hears are her muffled sobs. "Maya I need you to listen to me okay? I don't know what's wrong, but I'll be there 15 minutes. I'm going to hang up now because I have to go talk to Mama, but I need you to breathe. Okay? We'll be right there."

Maya cocoons herself under her blankets again, hiding from the booms and flashes of light. After what feels like eternity, her door bangs open and she feels the floor vibrate with Lucas' heavy footsteps. He rushes into her bedroom and stares at her curled up form for a few seconds before scooping her up, comforter and all. He's halfway to the car when Maya finally talks.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles into his chest. "You didn't have to come get me. I should've just called Mr. and Mrs. Matthews. I'm sorry Huckleberry."

"It's okay Maya, really" Lucas whispers into the top of her head. He's about to ask what happened when the glass door to the sidewalk shakes with another thunderclap and she grips his shirt tighter. "It's all going to be okay, I promise. And Mama would put me in the shed if I broke a promise, especially one to you. We're going to go outside now and we'll probably see lightning because we just heard thunder, and it's going to be bright but it can't hurt you. Okay, now we're going to get in the car and we're both going to sit in the back and Mama won't even make us put on our seat belts and you can sit right next to me okay? Did you know that cars are on of the safest places to be during a lightning storm? That being said though, we're still going to have to get out when we get to my apartment building, and look here we are."

Lucas carries Maya all the way up to his apartment, not caring about the trail of water they're creating. His mom takes the elevator and beats them there, opening the door and ordering Maya off to shower. She then shoos Lucas off to get Maya clothes for after her shower. He digs through his drawers to find her a shirt. He finally decides to give her his gray shirt and grabs the blue comforter off his bed. He settles outside the bathroom door and talks to her through it as she takes her shower. When the door clicks open and she stares down at him wordlessly, wrapped in a towel, he hands her the well worn shirt and tells her he'll be in the kitchen.

Ten minutes later she shuffles into the kitchen wearing Lucas's shirt with his comforter wrapped around her shoulders. She takes the cup of hot chocolate Mrs. Friar offers her and smiles gratefully. The storm brings another clap of thunder and Maya drops the mug to ground.

"I'm sorry," she cries again. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I'll clean it up, I'm sorry."

"Honey, it's okay. I know it was an accident. I'm just glad you didn't burn yourself. Why don't you and Lucas go watch a movie in his room while I clean this up?" Mrs. Friar shoots Lucas a look over Maya's head. He nods and pulls Maya down the hallway, into his room. They both bounce onto his bed and he grabs the remote for his TV as she buries herself under the rest of the blankets in his bed. He channel surfs for a while before finally settling on Disney Channel. He pulls Maya into him and kisses the top of her head.

"I hope you like Sofia the First because that's all it seems we're going to be watching tonight. It's on until 2 am. What kind of toddler is even up at 2 am? Well I suppose sick ones are, and ones who don't like to sleep, and ones in the hospital. I guess a lot of toddlers are awake at 2 am. Whatever, it's not like we can change what's on TV anyways," Lucas mumbles. He's about to continue on his speech about children and their weird sleep habits when Maya interrupts him.

"Huckleberry, this shirt smells like you. Everything smells like you. Even I smell like you. This shirt is mine now," Maya rambles into Lucas's chest.

Lucas chuckles and is about to retort when he realizes she's fallen asleep. He rests his back farther into the pillows and gets himself as comfortable as he can without waking up Maya. His mother enters his room and he looks away from Jasmine giving Princess Sofia advice. He holds one finger up to his mouth, making sure she knows to whisper.

"Do you know what happened tonight?" Mrs. Friar asks.

Lucas shakes his head. "All I know is she's sleeping now and she's keeping my shirt. I don't know why she broke down tonight or kept saying she's sorry, but she's not crying right now so everything's okay."

"Okay well just so you know, if that was any other girl in bed with you, you would be in the shed right now," she tuts as she walks out of the room. Lucas rolls her eyes, because Maya and him watching TV in his room was her idea. He falls asleep to dreams of Maya wearing his shirt as she paints and waltzing around her apartment in it.

The next Monday, on the first day of school, Maya steps into the high school wearing high heeled boots, a black skirt, her blue flower kimono, and his t-shirt. As the weather changes, she steals his flannels to wear to school and his sweatpants to sleep in. By the end of the school year, almost half his wardrobe is in her closet and she has a pile of clothes at his house. Not that he minds her stealing his clothes though, she looks ten times sexier in them than he ever could.


	4. she sings to him

_she sings to him._

Ever since they moved to New York, he hasn't slept well. He's used to falling asleep to almost silence, and now there's constant noise and movement outside his window. After a few months he began to slowly adjust to it, but he never really slept well. His inability to sleep increased when he was stressed, with school, or with Riley.

Tonight, it's Riley keeping him awake. She's been throwing herself at him with more enthusiasm than usual lately. His mind is filled with images of her batting too wide eyes at him and clumsily dropping her backpack everytime he smiles at her. He feels bad for admitting it, but it's starting to get on his nerves. The constant giggles have turned from endearing to grating, he's just simply not interested.

Lucas's mental turmoil is interrupted by a soft knock on his window. He shoots out of bed and turns on the lamp on his bedside table. Carefully stepping over his balled up comforter he kicked on the floor, he peers out into the night. Maya is sitting on the fire escape platform, shivering in thin pajamas. Lucas slams the window open and helps Maya inside.

"Couldn't sleep either Huckleberry?"

"What are you doing here Maya?"

"Wow, so welcoming. I guess I could just leave-"

"Wait Maya, crap, I didn't mean it like that. I just mean it's like 1 am in the middle of September and you just appeared on my fire escape wearing summer pajamas and it's really late and you should be sleeping.

"Oh my God Ranger Rick do you ever shut up?"

"Maya"

"My mom brought someone back to the apartment. And I couldn't stay. So I just climbed out the window and started walking."

"Oh."

"Listen, it's late. I'm cold. Give me a sweatshirt and I'll sleep on your floor and you won't even have to worry about it okay? I won't tell Riley."

"It doesn't matter."

"What?"

"I said 'It doesn't matter.' It doesn't matter if you tell Riley. I don't care if she knows. In fact, do tell her. Maybe if you tell her she'll actually leave me the fuck alone."

"Woah there Cowboy, you okay?"

"Shit I'm sorry. I haven't slept properly in a really long time and Maya I'm _tired_. Like really really tired and when I'm tired I get snappy and fuck."

"Get me a sweatshirt."

"What?"

"Get me a sweatshirt and I'll help you okay?"

So Lucas rummages through his dresser and pulls out an old sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants, in case Maya's colder than she's letting on. Maya holds up a finger telling him to wait and then disappears into his bathroom. She reappears drowning in his clothes, but looking significantly warmer. Dropping her pajamas into a pile by the door, she moves across the room to bounce onto his bed.

"What are you doing?" Lucas asks.

"Trust me. Come here," Maya replies.

And so Lucas does. Maya settles herself by his headboard, her back resting against the pile of pillows. She turns sideways, so her feet almost reach the end of the bed, and pats her lap. Lucas looks at her questioningly.

"Put you head on my lap. Just...trust me."

"You've said that an awful lot tonight."

"Shut up Quickdraw, you trust me."

Lucas 'mmph's but lays his head down on her lap nonetheless. Maya methodically runs her small fingers through his hair, but Lucas's eyes stay wide open.

"Maya this-"

"Shhhhh."

"Maya. This is weird and it's not doing anything." Lucas interrupts again, attempting to ignore the pleasant feeling coursing through his veins.

" _Lavender's blue, dilly dilly_

 _Lavender's green_

 _When you are king, dilly dilly_ "

"Maya what are you doing?"

"Will you _shut up_ Sundance? I'm trying to sing to you but it won't work if you don't shut your pie hole."

"Oh."

"Will you just let me try to help? Please."

Lucas nods against her thigh and pretends he doesn't hear her voice cracking.

" _Lavender's blue, dilly dilly_

 _Lavender's green,_ "

Maya starts over, and this time Lucas shuts his eyes. He focuses on the sound of her sweet voice, which is somehow drowning out the buzz of the city. Slowly, he reaches his hands up to rest against her, a silent thank you. Maya settles her other hand on his shoulder and keeps singing. Gradually, she feels the tension leave his body as he relaxes into sleep. She tries to slip out once she's certain he's asleep, but he grabs her wrist as she slips off the bed.

"Don't go," Lucas mumbles.

And so Maya turns around and settles back into the bed. Lucas pulls her body into him, as close as he can. His heart beats steadily underneath her ear, a constant reminder that she's safe in his arms. Maya slowly sinks into his warmth, letting his presence lull her to sleep.


End file.
